Thyroiditis

thyroiditis

[‚thī‚rȯi′dīd·əs]

(medicine)

Inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Thyroiditis

inflammation of the thyroid gland caused by nonspecific infection (for example, staphylococcosis), specific infection (tuberculosis), poisoning (by lead or carbon monoxide), or autoimmune diseases. Symptoms include pain upon swallowing or moving the head backward, throbbing pain in the ears and lower jaw, elevated body temperature, enlargement of the neck, and tenderness of the regional lymph nodes. The course of thyroiditis may be acute, subacute, or chronic. Treatment calls for the use of antiinflammatory agents, analgesics, antibiotics, corticosteroids, thyroidin, and vitamins. Suppurative thyroiditis is treated surgically.

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